The following day, Mark woke up very early in the morning. Still in darkness, he sat at the bedside. He had a lot of thoughts. He thought he might waste a lot of time on an affair that could eventually collapse. He tried to assess the possibility of moving on and find someone suitable for him.
What made Mark think about their relationship as casual was how his girlfriend behaved. There was no sort of seriousness. Since they started dating, he has never gotten his conjugal rights, putting his girlfriend's intentions under question.
Mark had a series of rhetorical questions in his mind. He had all along tried to correct the girlfriend, but she was too rigid. The most serious one was the rejected marriage proposal.
According to Mark, Shiro did not know her role as a girlfriend.
"Does she think I am his brother?" Mark finally whispered to himself. "We need to find a councilor?" he added.
Mark was determined to save their love relationship. But she was not bothered at all. Shiro was ready for everything. But why was Mark reluctant to move on with his life?
Shiro finally woke up. She found her man sitting at the bedside. Her man seemed to be in deep thoughts.
She sat beside her boyfriend. She ignored the man for some time, pretending to be innocent.
After quite sometime, Mark had to start the conversation as usual.
"Shiro! "I am very disappointed with you", Mark echoed.
"What have you just called me, Shiro!" the lady angrily responded? Mark often referred to his woman as 'love'. But today things were different.
Shiro was kind of a dramatic lady. She accused her man of being careless and not treating her like a woman. She says that women are delicate and ought to be pampered.
"Sorry then" Mark apologized to prevent it from escalating into something else.
"Love, we need to talk about our love affairs," Mark said.
"Love affairs" Shiro responded as if surprised.
"Yes, I don't see if it will go far when we continue the way we are doing," he added.
"So you have decided to end the relationship, right?" she asked.
"No, it is just a matter of discussion. We need to polish our affairs to shine, let make people come to benchmark ours." Mark explained.
"Why did you turn down my marriage proposal if you were indeed genuine?" Mark said.
"I'm not ready now. "I can't deceive you that I can handle the responsibility associated with my wife at the moment.*** I am only twenty-three, too young for marriage", Shiro boldly told her man.
"For clarity, what age will you consider ripe for marriage?" Mark insisted.
"Give me seven years ahead, at age thirty I will be ready to settle down", she clarified.
Mark was very annoyed. Seven years ahead was too much for him. What if the relationship ended earlier than the seven years promised? His mind took a break as disappointment took the next step.
"What about my conjugal rights? Please elaborate." Mark wanted more clarification.
"What do you mean? "You want to sleep with me" Shiro could not go behind the bush.
"It is not the way you are making it sound like love. For your information, it keeps the relationship sweet and going", he responded.
"It seems your main intention is to sleep with me, right?" she asked.
"No", Mark responded.
"And why are you pressurizing me about your conjugal rights? "Why can't you be patient and wait... "I know one day you will have to enjoy it, but not soon", Shiro gave a vivid explanation.
Mark wanted an assurance that after seven years of waiting, he would own her.
After quite a considerate time mending their relationship, they finally resolved to involve their parents to cement it. They agreed to organize and have Mark visit Shiro's parents in the village. Also, Shiro had to visit Mark's parents.
The two lovers had cleared the boundary between themselves. They engaged in a healthy talk that resolved many of their challenges.
The two had to move out of bed. They held their hands and said a word of appreciation to the Maker.
Then, they proceeded to the coach. Mark switched on the television. It was time for morning news. A bold headline entitled, 'A pinch of love' cleared appeared. What! Their story was still on, as the public actively reacted through short messages.
The news presenter vividly explained how a young man's marriage proposal was turned down. It went further by airing Mark's conversation with Millen, the Asian girl who comforted him after the incident. Mark felt embarrassed and switched to off E-television.
Meanwhile, Shiro went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her boyfriend. The boyfriend preferred traditional meals. She took sweet potatoes and peeled, then boiled them. She then prepared black tea.
She then served them hot.
The two sat on the table enjoying their breakfast. It was a nice time for them. Their love had grown bigger.
Mark was a very creative man. He kept on creating interesting stories for his lover.
Shiro had a lot of house chores to attend to, from utensils, mopping the house and washing clothes.
Mark, as a responsible man, had to assist the girlfriend with the house chores. They jointly did the house chores.
Shiro washed the utensils as Mark rinsed them. They both mopped the house, washed all the clothes. Happiness had invaded the house again.
After a whole day of work, they finally sat down to rest. They were taken asleep while on the coach.
A knock is heard.
"Someone is knocking on the door," Mark told Shiro.
Shiro stood up and walked slowly to the main door to open. But before she could open, she peeped through the window and saw Mike. She whispered to the boyfriend, "It is Mike, your friend."
Mark knew very well that Mike had just come to make fun of him. He had been ignoring his call since yesterday. He decided not to entertain anything close to their viral clips.
Shiro opened the door and gave him access. She hugged him and let him in.
Mike entered the room, smile filling his face. He greeted his friend and sat down on the coach.
"Long time, my friend, I have been calling you since yesterday but found no response. "I have decided to come by myself to see how you are fairing," Mike said.
Mark responded, explaining how his phone was faulty.
Mike's consistent smile had a message. Mark could read a lot from his facial expressions.